Max Toy’s Mark Nagata was kind enough to invite a throng of Japanese toy collectors into to his family’s new home in SF for the ‘Kaiju Invade SF‘ welcome dinner…and also a chance to see his amazing collection in it’s new location!

[This post is really pic heavy so sorry if it loads a bit slow…click any image to enlarge]

Mark Nagata…

The dinner at Mark’s was held to welcome Japanese toy makers Yajima-san of Dream Rocket and Ichimiya-san of Sunguts on their first visit to the U.S…and also Matt Walker aka Dead Presidents in from Massachusetts. All gearing up for their upcoming show with Max Toy!…

Dead President’s also impressed everyone with his pinstriping skill and put on some last minute touches for the following day’s show…

I have a feeling that Matt enjoys what he does!…

All together I probably spent over an hour & half down in the ‘Museum‘ trying to take in all of Mark’s amazing collection…and it is in no way dedicated to just Ultraman…there are vinyls and other rarities from many of the other old Japanese TV shows/movies as well as a world-class collection of rayguns and robots!…

One of the first things I had to seek out was the uber-rare 1966 Bullmark ‘Girls Version’ Red Ultraman…only 4 exist in collector’s hands!!!

An Ultra Ride!…

Props too!…

Some new toys mixed in as well such as Neo-Eyezon!…

Vintage Robots and Trikes!…

Amazing vintage Kikaider collection!…

Protoypes…how awesome is that!…

Wouldn’t be an Ultraman collection without some Beta Capsules…

Some toys I had never seen like the Hyata below…

Ha! Ragon above has the same expression I had the whole time I was looking at this stuff…

More rareness…

Ultramen galore…

An Ultra Door!…

Giant Robos…

…and of course Ultra Bowling…

Lots of Ultra art was spread about the room…

An awesome Herculoids sketch…

Check out this giant Harryhausen Cylops guarding the room…

A dissected Eyezon…

…and Eyezon’s to paint…

Everywhere you look there was more incredible toys to behold…it really felt like being down in some super secret Tokyo toy shop that had all the rarest toys…

Toys in unexpected places…

You could tell that there was actually much more still in boxes…I would love to see what treasures these held too…

Mark asked some of us to sign his famous Mirrorman Statue but I realized I forgot to after I got home…oops 😦 …hopefully I’ll get to visit again someday soon!

Mark watching DP pinstriping…

Matt tries to make a Lion Maru face…and nails it…

Ultraman tells Toybot Studio’s Kirkland that Mark’s collection is even bigger than his…

Mark’s awesome son Max also helped keep everyone entertained by showing us his own cool toy collection…and his great skill playing Mario…

A good time was definitely had by all! Finally getting to see Mark’s collection in person and having the chance to meet many in the Japanese toy and collecting world as well as other artists and cool creative people…not to mention Mark’s very talented guests of honor made for a night I won’t soon forget!

A huge thanks to Mark Nagata and his wonderful family for the invite and being such gracious hosts!

Don’t forget to see this amazing show at Double Punch in North Beach SF…ends December 30th!

KAIJU COLORING BOOK!

About me…

For years I have been an enthusiastic devotee of Tokusatsu series & Kaiju Eiga (Japanese SFX, live action, & monster movies).
I'm also an ardent collector of the Japanese vintage & modern vinyl figures which you'll see here on the site. I have always been drawn to the vibrant colors, shapes, & creativity exhibited in Japanese toys and television characters. These obsessions invariably come together and influence my various artwork, photography, & custom vinyl creations.

Art & Photography:

I practice the use of HDR (High Dynamic Range) in my Kaiju Art Photography. I utilize various photo manipulation techniques to modify the color palette & lighting of the subject matter. My goal is to render a distinct personality and a certain pop art sensibility to the finished image.
My other Kaiju art projects and customs will eventually make their way to this site...so please check back if your curious!